Cheyenne Johnson appointed Executive Director at BC Centre on Substance Use
April 19, 2021
Cheyenne Johnson has been appointed Executive Director of the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU). Ms. Johnson was selected following a recruitment process led by Providence Health Care Research Institute (PHCRI), after previously acting as interim executive director of BCCSU. She was originally appointed by government as the Interim Operations Dire...
New resources to support pregnant people who use substances
March 9, 2021
New clinical resources are available to better support British Columbians during pregnancy, while reducing harms related to substance use. The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has developed a new clinical guideline supplement to care for pregnant people who use alcohol and has expanded the 24/7 Addiction Medicine Clinician Support L...
Access to life-saving injectable treatments for opioid use disorder in Canada still extremely limited
February 23, 2021
Despite regulatory changes to encourage prescribing of injectable treatments for opioid use disorder in the midst of a worsening national overdose crisis, fewer than 800 patients in Canada received the evidence-based, life-saving therapy, a new study published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) shows. Researchers from the Brit...
RNs begin prescribing addiction treatment medications, a Canadian first
February 8, 2021
The first cohort of registered nurses (RNs) is on track to begin prescribing medications for treatment of opioid use disorder, as part of B.C.’s leading-edge overdose response plan. Thirty RNs and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) will complete their training this month to prescribe buprenorphine/naloxone (commonly known as Suboxone), which is...
First-of-its-kind national guideline to support people with alcohol use disorder
January 29, 2021
New national resources to give clinicians the tools they need to better prevent, treat, and reduce harms from alcohol use disorder in Canada will soon be available, just as reports suggest Canadians are consuming more alcohol than ever. Health Canada is aiming to fill the evidence-to-practice gap through the development of the first-ever national c...
